Holiday News - Direct

The European Union is giving €215 million for Bulgaria, to invest in the development of tourism in the country.
An agreement has been signed by the National Tourism Board (NTB) and the National Association of Municipalities in Republic of Bulgaria to state where the EU funds would be used and when. Projects hoping to get money […]

Those seeking a holiday in the sun will be pleased to hear that new flights have been announced from Manchester to Spain, and Leeds to Turkey.
Bmibaby has added Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon to its flight routes departing from Manchester airport. The new routes will start operating in June, Madrid and Barcelona will be served […]

After four years of Simplifying the Business programme, all paper tickets for flights will be gone by June 1, 2008. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) have started their countdown to a 100% e-ticketing air travel.
“In 97 days the paper ticket gets put in a museum. On June 1, 2008 we will achieve 100% electronic […]

Holiday markets are growing and new holiday destinations are emerging, but holidays in Spain remain the top choice for British holidaymakers, according to online travel agency Holidays-Direct.co.uk. With city breaks, Barcelona is the top choice along with other old favourites, but new city break destinations are emerging too.
Brits typically start searching for holiday […]

This February, the most popular type of holiday is a city break in Europe. Almost 40% of people surveyed by American Express said they were going abroad to visit a European city.
One of the reasons February is so popular for city breaks, is Valentine’s Day and so many couples wanting to take a romantic short […]

British holidaymakers are becoming ‘lobby snobs’ as they tend to choose a hotel based on design and facilities rather than location and price.
According to a new survey, two in three British holidaymakers say the furnishing, facilities, and good service in a hotel are more important than cost.
A series of surveys of thousands of […]

Holidays in Florida have yet another thing to offer – Disney World will open an American Idol attraction in 2008. Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park can audition in video kiosk, and possibly win a chance to try out in the next stage.
They get to perform in front of Disney’s Hollywood Studios producer for […]

For business travellers, Moscow is the most expensive destination in the world, as hotel room prices have gone up 93% since 2004. New York has the second most expensive hotel rates in the world.
The biggest rise in hotel room prices last year happened in Mumbai, were prices soared 37% in just one year, according to […]

The US and Australia have made an agreement to allow ‘open skies’ for air traffic. The agreement means that US and Australian airlines can fly from any destination in one to any in the other, depending on demand from passengers.
“Airlines from both countries will be allowed to select routes and destinations based on consumer […]

The new cruise ship from MSC Cruises, MSC Poesia will be christened by Sophia Loren on April 5. The star studded event will take place in Dover, and it’s the first time an MSC Cruises ship will be launched outside of Italy.
The ship’s new music hall will see performances from Andrea Bocelli and KT […]

One of the main reasons Brits say they wouldn’t take a cruise holiday is being stuck with the other people on the cruise ship, according to a recent poll by Cruise Critic.
The nationality that the Brits find most annoying on a cruise holiday is Americans. Almost half of the people surveyed said they would […]

To control the growing problem with lost luggage, airport operator BAA and the Dubai based airline Emirates have started a new hi-tech luggage tracking test.
All luggage on the Heathrow – Dubai route on Emirates planes will be tagged with an electronic chip in a six month trial. The new technology will use radio frequency identification […]

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refund passengers who were onboard their flights between 11 August 2004 and 23 March 2006.
In a class action suit in the US, the two airlines were accused of price-fixing fuel surcharges. The two airlines have agreed to pay all passengers on their flights refunds that are one third […]

The US is demanding tougher security checks from those taking a holiday in the US. Passengers from 14 European Union countries can currently travel to the US under the visa waiver program, but recent demands from the US Department of Homeland Security have sparked fears that the program might be stopped.
The US says it wants […]

Returning from Christmas holidays has inspired about 5 million Brits to book a holiday for this year during January.
It’s expected that about 30 million people will go on a holiday abroad during 2008, and 16% have already made their bookings. Nearly 2,000 people were interviewed face to face for these results.
Main reason for booking […]

Austria has launched a new brand campaign, with images of iconic Austrian symbols and a simple catchphrase “It’s got to be Austria”.
The Austrian National Tourist Office says long term qualitative and quantitative analysis has been done before launching the new campaign.
“We wanted to translate the brand’s characteristics into visual words that are understood […]

Tanzania is hoping to attract more sports tourists to take a holiday in Tanzania, as it opens a new ultra-modern sports stadium. The $56 million stadium can hold 60,000 people and has been built to FIFA and Olympic standards.
It is expected that sports tourists will be heading to Africa in 2010 as South Africa […]

Holidays in Hawaii could become almost compeltely smoke-free if Hawaii decides to ban smoking on beaches. Last year the Hawaii County Council banned outdoor smoking at Kahaluu Beach Park, after a campaign by a Hawaii middle school. Now the council is moving to expand the ban to include other Hawaii beaches.
The council has already given […]

A new hypersonic jet could take passengers to Australia in just five hours. The plans for a hypersonic jet were revealed by British engineers recently. The plane could fly five times the speed of sound, 6400km per hour with 300 passengers onboard.
The A2 plane from Reaction Engines could be operating in 25 years. So no […]

Helen Mirren will christen the new Venture cruise ship in April. With cruise holidays growing more and more popular, the new ship from P&O Cruises offers yet another place to relax on sea.
The Oscar winning actress will be assisted by Royal Marine Commandos on April 16 to launch the new ship. P&O Cruises see […]